Air washer



July 3, 1945 o. E. PENN 2,379,795

' AIRwAsHER Filed June 28. 1943 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR.

O. E. FENN July 3,1945.

AIR WASHER Filed June 28, 1943 2 Sheets-She'et 2 INVENTOR. Off/22 Y7a2??? 147 TUF/Vf KST PatentedJuly 3, 1945 AIR WASHER Orrin E. Fenn,Detroit, Mich.. assignor to Peters- Dalton, Inc., Detroit, Mich., acorporation of Michigan Application June 28, 1943, Serial No. 492.510

3 Claims.

This invention relates to an improved apparatus for removing from airand gas foreign material in suspension therein.

An object is to provide simple and inexpensive I apparatus for removingforeign material of all kinds from air.

` foul particles such as are produced in grinding,

It may be employed to remove polishing or buffing operations from theair passed into the hoods over such machines and through the exhaustducts leading therefrom or for any other uses where it is desired towash air or gas with liquid such as water to remove foul particles ofany kind therefrom.

Another object is to provide apparatus of the character describedwherein the water shower or spray within which the air is washed isproduced by Ithe movement of the air itself through the machine due tothe construction and arrangement of the machine. Such structuretherefore does not require any moving wearing parts to produce the watershower.

A further object is to provide. apparatus as described wherein the airis directed into a converging washing chamber through a restrictedpassage made up in part of a partially submerged ilow plate over whichthe air flows at a high velocity and sweeps water up theplate and intothe washing chamber where it is swirled around by the air and the foulparticles carried in suspension in the air are wetted and Washed there-`from. The foul particles washed from the air Other objects, advantages,and meritoriousl features of my invention will more fully appear fromthe following description, appended claims and accompanying drawings,whereim' Fig. 1 is a Vertical sectional view through an apparatusembodying the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation 0f the apparatus shown in Fig. 1. f

Fig. 3 is a plan view of the apparatus shown in Fig. 2.

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of a modiiied form of the apparatusshown in Fig. 1, and embodying the invention.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary of the wash- .ing section taken on thesame line as Fig. 1.

'I'he apparatus shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3 may be consideredrepresentative. It comprises an upright casing I 0 having front, backand side walls. A bottom portion serves as a liquid containing tank I2having a settling tank compartment Il projecting at one side. Thesettling tank portion communicates with the main tank l2 below thedividing wall I6 and is provided with a hinged cover I8 for removal ofcollected foul material.

The casing has an air outlet at the top which may communicate with anexhaust fan 22 as shown ln 'the structure of Fig. 2 to draw air to becleaned through the casing at the 'desired rate of speed. The casing hasan air inlet through pipes 24 shown in Figs. 2 and 3, which pipes feedinto a passageway 25 shown in Fig. 1. This inlet is at one side at thebottom. These inlet pipes 24 may communicate with one or more supplyducts leading from suitable sources of foul-air supply not shown such asthe hoods of dust producing machines.

The interior arrangement is shown in Fig. 1 and in this figure aplurality of baffles. 26 project from opposite walls above the waterlevelwithin the casing downwardly and inwardly into` ver- I ticallyspaced overlapping relationship terminating spaced from the oppositewalls of 'the casing. 'I'hese bailles extend from one end wall of thecasing to the opposite end wall causing the air to follow a zigzag pathupwardly through the casing. The space between the two lower bafes formsa washing chamber as described hereinafter.

lAn air deflecting plate 28 (Fig. 1) extends from adjacent the uppermargin of the air inlets downwardly and inwardly in the same generaldirection .as the lowermost baille 26 and forms the ceiling of the airpassageway 24. This deector plate 28 extends toward the water level.which level is indicated by the dotted line within the tank. Aboutmidway the projection of the lowermost baffle 2 6 the y deector plateturns upwardly to meet the margin of such baille. A cooperating plate 30extends from the lower margin of the inlet opening inwardly anddownwardly into submergence within the water in the tank, Aas shown inFig. 1, andserves to guide the air and prevent undesired Water surgingwithin the tank. This plate 30 forms a part of the bottom wall of theair .passageway 25.

The other part of the bottom wall of the passageway 26 is formed by aflow plate 32 which extends from a point of submergence within the tankspaced from the plate 30 upwardly at a small angle to the water surfaceand emerges above such surface and continues upwardly spaced from plate28 and substantially parallel thereto and terminates spaced from themargin of baille 26 and the opposite side wall of the casing. .Apartition wall 34 depends from the upper margin of the flow plate, asshown in Fig. 1, substantially below the water level within the tank.

In Fig. 4 the construction is similar to that of Fig. 1 except that theair enters downwardly through a grating 36 over a projecting portion 38of the tank. Baies 26 are provided within the casing. There are alsoprovided an air defiector plate 28, a flow plate 32 and a wall portion34, all cooperatively arranged as hereinabove described in connectionwith the structure of Fig. 1. The structure shown in Fig. 4 is similarto that described in Figs. l, 2 and 3 except that in Figs. 1, 2 and 3the air inlet is shown as through two relatively angularly disposedinlet pipes 24 which discharge into the air passageway 25 as shown inFig. 1.

In Figs. 1, 2 and 3 means in the form of a control valve 40 having acontrol float 42 is shown to maintain an accurate water level within thetank over a submerged part of the ow plate. This valve 40 is shown inwater inlet pipe 44 through which water is supplied to the water tankfrom a suitable source. This level could of course be maintained by asuitable overflow pipe adjusted to the desired height and cooperatingwith a feedlng inlet pipe. Such construction is conventional.

-Air to be cleaned enters through the inlet pipes 24, Fig. 1. or throughthe grating 36, Fig. 2, and is directed by the deiiector plate 28downwardly toward the water standing above the flow plate 32 as shown inFigs. 1 and 4. In one type of apparatus, as shown in Fig. 1, therestriction between the low point of plate 28 and the flow plate 32 istwo inches and the casing which is two feet from .front to rear and ll/2feet wide is adapted to handle 1000 cu. feet of air p. m. The airvelocity through the orifice between the plate 28 and now plate 32 wouldreach 4000 to' 5000 ft. p. m. 'I'he air velocity is maintainedsuiciently high and the water level above the plate 32 is so accuratelymaintained that water is swept up the plate 32 and at the normalvanishing point of the water level on the plate it leaves the plate andis carried up as a spray or shower by the rapid air movement through thespace between the margin of the lowermost baille 26 and the oppositewall of the casing into the space between the two lower baiiles asshown.

The water carried up into the space between the two lower bailles 26 isswirled around within such space creating a Iheterogeneous swirlingspray of coarse and fine spray. A portion of such water falls down on tothe lowermost plate 26 and runs ofi the margin thereof. Some of thespray falls directly down into the tank between the vertical partitionwall 34 and the back wall of the casing. Some of the spray runs down theback wall into the tank. Some of the ne spray is thrown up against thesecond baille 26 and knocked down from there upon the lowermost baille26.

The water being carried up the flow plate by the air and into thewashing chamber space between the two converging lower baiiies flowsback into the tank through the return conduit established between thepartition wall 34 and the opposite wall of thegtank. A circulation istherefore established from such return settling portion of the tank(Fig. 1) and the main portion wherein the water stands above thesubmerged portion of the flow plate. The foul material settles out 1 ofthe water before the same returns to stand over the submerged end of theflow plate 32. nance of the required air velocity and the proper waterlevel feathering out to a line on the low angle flow plate 32 aredesired characteristics for proper functioning.

There are no moving water spray creating parts as in the water wheeltype of apparatus and no parts to become clogged as in the spray nozzletype and the maintenance cost is low with respect to attained emciency.

What I claim is:

1. Apparatus for removing foreign material from air comprising anupright casing liaving an air outlet at the Itop and having a waterreservoir in its bottom portion, a plurality of bales pro- Jectingalternately from opposite side walls of the casing inwardly anddownwardly into spaced overlapping relationship above the water level,

an air inlet into the casing through the side wall from whichthelowermost baille projects below said lowermost baille and above thewater level, an air deflecting plate extending from th'e upper margin ofthe air inlet downwardly and inwardly of the casing toward the waterlevel and turning upwardly from a point spaced above the water level andextending therefrom to the inner margin of the lowermost baille, a iiowplate extending from a point within the casing spaced below the airinlet and below the water level and spaced from the wall of the casingprovided with the air inlet upwardly at an angle of less than 45 towardthe opposite side wall of the casing and terminating spaced above thewater level at a point |between said opposite side wall and the marginof the lowermost baille, means for drawing an air stream into the casingthrough the inlet and below the deecting plate and upwardly over theflow plate at such a velocity as to sweep water upwardly over the flowplate across the space between the margin of the lowermost baille andthe opposite side wall of the casing and into the space above thelowermost baiile, and a partition wall extending downwardly from theinner margin of the ilow plate spaced from and substantially parallel tothat side wall of the casing opposite the air inlet and terminatingspaced below the water level above the bottom of the casing.

2. Apparatus for removing foreign material from air comprising anupright casing having an air outlet at the top and a water reservoir inits bottom portion, a plurality of baffles projecting alternately fromopposite side walls of the casing inwardly and downwardly into spacedoverlapping relationship above the water level, an air inlet through theside wall from which -the lowermost baille projects below said lowermostbaille and above the water level, a now plate extending from a pointspaced below the water` level below the air inlet and spaced from theside Wall of the casing provided with the inlet upwardly toward theopposite side wall at a slope of less th'an 45 and terminating spacedabove the water level at a Maintemaximum downward projection spacedabove the water level which extends above the flow plate, said deectingplate extending upwardly from said point of maximum downward projectionto the upper margin of the air inlet and forming with the flow plate arestricted air inlet passageway and a. partition wall extending fromthat margin of the flow plate which terminates spaced between the innermargin of the lowermost bailie and the opposite side wall of thecasingdownwardly below the water level and terminating spaced above the bottomof the casing.

3. The invention as defined in claim numbered 2 characterized in thatthe air defiecting plate extends upwardly from the point of maximumdownward projection at a sharp angle greater than 45 and terminates atthe upper margin of the air inlet, and further characterized in thatthere is provided a second air deflecting plate which projects inwardlyand downwardly from below the lower margin of the air inlet to a pointbelow the water level and spaced slightly above the flow plate.

OBRIN E. IE'ENN.

